Wire-stretcher clamp.



No. 736,453. PATENTED AUG. 18; 1903.

' R. SOCKS & P. P. SMITH.

WIRE STRETGHER CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

a I%-W- UNITED STATES Patented August 18, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WIRE-STRETCHER CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,453, dated August18, 1903.

Application filed June 18, 1902. Serial No. 112,231. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that we, RAYMOND Socxs and FRANK P. SMITH, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Shelbyville, in the county of Shelby andState of Indiana, have invented a new and useful \Vire Stretcher Clamp,of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in wire stretchers, and has for itsobject to improve the construction of wirestretcher clamps to provide asimple and inexpensive device by which the wire may be readily stretchedto the required tension and which will hold the wire in convenientposition for attachment to the post or other support.

Other novel features of the device will appear in the annexeddescription and be specified in the claim following.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevationviewed from the front or wire-entering side, and Fig. 2 is a similarview from the rear side. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

The device consists in two opposing jaw members 10 11, the member 10rigidly secured, as by rivets 10 10", to abase-plate 12, and the member11 pivotally secured at 11 in the same base-plate, as shown. Thebaseplate 12 is wider at the point where the jaw member 10 is attachedthan at the point where the jaw member 11 is pivoted, and the narrowside of the base-plate is extended and bent over the jaw member 11 at 12and adapted to support the outer end of the pivot 11, as shown. Theopposing faces of the jaw members are reversely curved, as shown at 1313, respectively, and are extended rearwardly and provided with links14: 14, the links united by a ring 15.

Attached to the rear face of the base-plate 12 is a spring 16, extendingrearwardly and engaging the pivoted jaw member 11 by an offset 16, asshown. The spring is preferably connected to the head 12 at 16 andsupported by a pin 16, as shown in Fig. 2. The

spring exerts its force to maintain the jaws in constant engagement, sothat when the wire is first inserted between the curved portions 13 13it will be held with sufficient force to obviate the necessity forholding the jaws closed upon the wire by hand while adlapping portion12, forming a support for the movable jaw member 11, is also animportant feature of the invention and greatly strengthens and supportsthe connection, so that a much greater tension can be applied to thewire without danger of breaking the jaw members or straining the parts.This produces a very simple, cheap, easily-applied, and very strongdevice, which is readily applicable to all the various purposes forwhich similar devices are usually employed. The parts can be of anydesired size to adapt them to different-sized wire.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim is- In awire-stretcher, the combination with a base-plate having alaterally-extended finger folded backward upon itself to form anextended lateral recess, a movable jaw member pivoted at its forward endin the recess between the overlapping finger and base-plate, a fixed jawmember rigidly connectedat its front end to the base-plate, said jawmembers being extended rearward from the base-plate in substantiallyparallel relation and having their active faces curved throughout theirentire length in opposite directions, whereby they are adapted forclamping wires varying widely in size, a pair of links connected onewith each of the jaw members at its rear end, an attaching membercarried by the link, and a spring attached to the rear face of the baseplate and extending rearwardly therefrom with its free end bearing uponthe rear end of the movable jaw member and tending to normally hold thesame in clamping position.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaiiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

RAYMOND SOCKS. FRANK P. SMITH. Witnesses:

CAREY 1). JOHN, WILL A. YARENIG-

